Design of Dragon and Tiger

Yamashita Bokusen was a Kyōto kinko who also signed his works as Karyū and Ichibasai Karyū. Although his name has been known since the Edo period, he was a highly unproductive artisan, and very few people today are likely to have encountered his works firsthand. Little is known about his lineage, school affiliation, or the dates of his birth and death; nevertheless, descriptions of his distinctive style and carving technique survive, giving him an almost legendary status among kinko.
This fuchigashira is executed in his favored katakiri-bori technique, with a fierce tiger carved on the kashira and a dragon on the fuchi. The expressions and penetrating gaze of both the tiger and dragon convey a strong sense of tension, while the treatment of their bodies, together with the waves and clouds, reveals a highly pictorial quality.
Unlike the Kyōto-based Ichinomiya and Ōtsuki schools, Bokusen did not employ hira-zōgan, and his katakiri-bori technique also differs significantly from theirs, demonstrating that he established a highly individual artistic approach.
Well preserved and exceptionally accomplished, this piece can be regarded as one of Bokusen’s masterworks.